Lipscomb County Courthouse
Lipscomb, Texas
Expertise
- Historical
- Municipal
Services
- electrical engineering
- mechanical / plumbing engineering
Built in 1916 and last remodeled in the 1950s, the Lipscomb County Courthouse was in dire need of renovations and upgrades. BHB teamed up with Arthur Weinman Architect and was tasked with providing MEP engineering and design services for this project in order to help restore the building to its original look and feel, while giving the courthouse 21st century upgrades.
BHB’s mechanical team designed a variable refrigerant flow HVAC system to replace the existing standard split and packaged terminal air conditioner units. The old ductwork was removed from the facility, which allowed the ceilings to open up from 8 feet back to the building’s original ceiling height of 12 feet.
The electrical scope of work for the renovation of the 106-year-old courthouse included upgrading the existing electrical distribution system served by a 240v DELTA utility installation. A big challenge for the electrical engineers was correcting the facility’s current emergency system wiring and generator that had been improperly installed. BHB also utilized decorative light fixtures to retrofit the building to period lighting to help bring back the original aesthetic of the courthouse. In turn, an inverter system was designed in order to accommodate the antique fixtures for emergency lighting purposes. This entailed a complex design, special switching and controls, and unique hardware requirements.
The Fort Worth Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, as part of their Excellence in Architecture program for 2022, has awarded Lipscomb County Courthouse the Merit Design Award.
Key People
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Ken Randall, PE, LEED AP
Ken Randall, PE, LEED AP
Chairman of the Board | Senior Electrical Engineer
Ken Randall’s reputation as a solutions-oriented electrical engineer has enabled him to evaluate and design complex commercial and industrial electrical distribution systems. His projects range from small remodels to new one-million-square-foot buildings.
As Chief Executive Officer, Ken leads the development of BHB’s long and short term strategies along with managing overall business operations and also serves as the electrical team leader. His approach to projects and client service is to continually strive to meet the Owner’s vision and to design with new concepts and technologies with better buildings in mind.
Ken is a former Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) of Tarrant County, and he was nominated as Rookie of the Year for the organization in 2014. He is involved in the Texas Society of Professional Engineers, promoting the continuing education of engineers in Fort Worth. Ken and his wife Tammy are active members of Abiding Faith Lutheran Church.
Project Experience
Arborlawn United Methodist Church
Arlington Animal Services Center
Arlington Heights Animal Hospital
Bob Bolen Public Safety Complex
Central Texas College Nursing Center
Doss Heritage and Culture Center
Fort Worth Country Day Lou and Nick Martin Campus Center
Fort Worth Country Day Sid W. Richardson Visual Arts Center
Imperial Construction Office and Shop
Keller ISD Timberview Middle School
Early Learning Center
Mounted Patrol Equestrian Facility
Northpark YMCA
Ott Cribbs Public Safety Center
Rogers Road Pavilion
Tarrant County Downtown Courthouse
Tarrant County Northwest Sub-Courthouse
Tarrant County Sub-Courthouse
TCU Annie Richardson Bass Building
TCU Charlie and Marie Lupton Baseball Clubhouse
TCU Ed & Rae Schollmaier Arena
TCU Frog Alley Parking Garage
TCU Mary Couts Burnett Library
TCU Rees-Jones Hall
Texas Wesleyan University Jack and Jo Willa Morton Fitness Center
Weatherford College Professional Services
Education
University of Texas at Arlington:
Bachelor’s Degree/1998/Electrical Engineering -
Gibran Michel, DBIA, LEED AP
Gibran Michel, DBIA, LEED AP
Senior Associate | Senior Mechanical Designer
Gibran Michel has been with BHB since 1996. A year after high school, he started with BHB as a drafter and absorbed as much information as he could concerning HVAC and plumbing design. Since that time, he has gone on to learn what he can about the other engineering tasks that goes into the construction of new buildings and the renovation of existing buildings. With this knowledge, he has been able to help his clients from the very start of on their projects. Including site selection, zoning changes, overall site utility advisement, building space planning, and many other tasks that are involved in this process.
During his design time with BHB, he has worked on everything from a 1,500 square-foot retail space all the way to a 500,000 square-foot distribution center for a major beer supplier. Projects have included schools/universities, churches, hospitals, retail, multi-family, high-rise buildings, warehouses, and everything in between.
After 20 years of design experience over thousands of projects, he began developing good relationships with clients that started pulling him away from the day-to-day design of their projects and turned him into the direct contact for the client. For BHB, Gibran become an overall project manager that was able to coordinate design efforts for all the engineering for his clients’ projects as well as a focal point within the company for projects that had difficulties during construction.
When he is not working, he likes to spend time with his wife, Molley, along with working out 4 to 5 times a week. His favorite place to vacation is the Caribbean with its’ warm weather and great beaches. You can also ask him about his own experiences handling home repairs, building a 200-foot-long railroad tie retaining wall or updating a 100+ year old cabin on his family property outside Lampasas, Texas.